Carmelo Anthony's a Knick. Next Step: The Aggressive Pursuit of Deron Williams or Chris Paul

Carmelo Anthony got traded to the Knicks last night and I fully admit to initially being pissed off. For months, the Knicks had all the leverage, and then at the last minute, they panicked and soiled themselves (I blame Dolan and Isiah, those fools). If this were a poker table, the Knicks were dealt a pair of Aces, and the Nuggets were holding rags. The Nuggets and Melo bluffed their way to a victory. If you believe Melo would have gone to New Jersey, you’re as dumb as Dolan.

Gauging reaction from around the web, it seems most fans/columnists fall into one of three categories:

Camp 1: Horrible deal. Anthony doesn’t help the defense, he’s not a good fit with Amare, Billups is old, and the Knicks have no bench. (My estimate, based on comments last night and twitter responses: this is 35% of fans)

I fell into this camp last night. After a night of sleep, I’ve softened my stance. Tough to find many columnists in this camp, but …Peter Vecsey seems to be here. He compares Anthony-Amare to Bob McAdoo & Spencer Haywood (a pairing that didn’t work).Mike Lupica seems pessimistic about this trade. “The Knicks get Carmelo Anthony even after giving away all the leverage they had in this thing, and what feels like half their roster.”

Camp 2: It doesn’t look like a great deal but the Knicks had to do it. Amare & Anthony will be able to attract a third elite player, like Deron Williams or Chris Paul. (estimate: 40% of fans)

Mike Vaccaro of the Post takes the long term outlook on the deal. “But they’re in position to go for it now. Forget everything else and focus on that. They’re closer this morning than they were yesterday.”Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News, seems to agree, but with this note that will surely come back to haunt the Knicks if the new CBA makes it impossible for them to land a third elite player. “I just think the Knicks could’ve held out, paid less, and been better situated for what’s to come.” I agree 100% with that. If Kawakami were debating this point, someone would use Ian Thomsen’s logic (see below) as a rebuttal.

Camp 3: Great deal! The Knicks gave up spare parts for a Top 15 player in the league and you can be sure they’ll recruit another elite player! (estimate: 25% of fans)

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Whoa!

I woke up this morning, scanned some analysis of the trade and thought, “well, the Knicks will be slightly more entertaining and I can spend the next two years worrying about whether or not they can land Williams or Paul. Then it’s on like Genghis Khan.”

“Under every scenario I could come up with, the Knicks are unlikely to have the money to make a competitive offer to a major free agent next summer or possess the assets to trade for him beforehand … Assuming the salary cap in 2012 is the same that it is this season ($58 million), the Knicks would be looking at $11.5 million in cap space in 2012. However, no one thinks the cap will stay the same. With the owners asking for major concessions from the players in the new collective bargaining session, the cap will most likely be considerably lower.

Who’s ready for disappointment when the Knicks don’t get either point guard? This will sting worse than LeBron’s rejection. (If they settle for Ricky Rubio, I’ll gladly accept him.) So the first order of business will be for the Knicks to convince Anthony to take less money. The selling point: You want CP3 or Deron? Take less money. And then he might say, “Will Amare take a pay cut?” (This is under the assumption, of course, that Amare’s knees are still holding up.)

I guess I can live with the deal, mostly because there’s only 25ish games left in this season, next season will be shortened by the lockout, and then the Knicks will get their third superstar!

Comments

They’re better than they were yesterday and role players can be replaced…weren’t going to win the championship this season regardless so keep building for the future around a top player

http://www.yodayoushouldask.com YYSA

Your 3rd superstar is going to be Steve Nash.

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

I honestly believe that if the Knicks didn’t drade for him, he wouldn’t have been a Knick at all.

http://www.thebiglead.com TheBigLead

weren’t going to win the championship this season regardless so keep building for the future around a top player

agree

I honestly believe that if the Knicks didn’t drade for him, he wouldn’t have been a Knick at all.

why? He had NO options. he wasn’t going to NJ. there was no way after this fiasco that he was going to stay in Denver.

http://notitlessince83.blogspot.com johndewar

The trade may have been good for basketball, may have been good for the Knicks, in terms of making them “relevant”, but I don’t really see how it gets them any closer to a championship.

Tim Thomas's Bagels

Count me in Camp 1. Settling for consistent position in the middle of the playoff pack. As a Celts fan, all power to them.

http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

there was no way after this fiasco that he was going to stay in Denver.

Asked about this last night but I thought that with the probably new CBA his only real option to cash out was to sign an extension with Denver before the end of the season as opposed to head to free agency…could be mistaken on this

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

why? He had NO options. he wasn’t going to NJ. there was no way after this fiasco that he was going to stay in Denver.

He had an option to get the same money of he was traded to the Nets and sign an extension or stay in Denver and sign the extension. If he gets to the summer without a new CBA in place, which is probably the case, could he have been guaranteed that much money in free agency after opting out? Would Denver have sign and traded for him after the season was over and he got the same amount of money?

http://www.majorleaguejerk.com/ spencer096

why? He had NO options. he wasn’t going to NJ. there was no way after this fiasco that he was going to stay in Denver.

ok…so there are two teams. no LA? no dallas? no houston?

fuck his wife…she can take a jet.

Watsonian

Your 3rd superstar is going to be Steve Nash.

I would love this just for the comical defense with him, Melo, and Amare on the floor together.

j.sears90210

Had their not been a threat of a new CBA lowering salaries the Knicks would have had more leverage and could have just waited for the summer.

I am in camp 3. Have to acquire a top 15 talent if you are the Knicks. Add some depth this summer and possibly an elite pg.

Knicks have a better chance of being elite after this trade than they did before it.

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

Asked about this last night but I thought that with the probably new CBA his only real option to cash out was to sign an extension with Denver before the end of the season as opposed to head to free agency…could be mistaken on this

That’s the camp I’m in Butters. If he wasn’t guaranteed to make the same amount of money after the season was over, than the Knicks’ weren’t as good in a position as we thought.

http://twitter.com/SouvenirCity SouvenirCity

In between camp 1 and 2. Knicks traded for a guy that was a UFA this offseason. CBA be damned, he wanted to go to New York. He cares about getting paid, but not enough to take a few extra million bucks to stay on a loser in Denver. Plus, the way they handled this whole thing obviously turned him off.

Still not of the opinion he and Amar’e are two guys that can carry a team to a title. With the right supporting cast? Sure.

http://www.yodayoushouldask.com YYSA

I would love this just for the comical defense with him, Melo, and Amare on the floor together.

Comical but even that offense can blow through the first 2 rounds in the east. Would find trouble in the ECF however.

http://twitter.com/ButtersBC ButtersBC

Bulls-Knicks in the first round will be all sorts of fun

/Don’t think Chicago is catching Miami or Boston with their 2nd half schedule
//Knicks still don’t seem good enough to grab the #5 seed

Watsonian

to take a few extra million bucks to stay on a loser in Denver

Denver was a better team than NY. I wouldn’t call them a loser.

Still not of the opinion he and Amar’e are two guys that can carry a team to a title. With the right supporting cast? Sure.

False. Amare and Melo are not winning a championship. Even if they do some how add an Elite PG (not gonna happen), they still are not getting out of the East.

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

He cares about getting paid, but not enough to take a few extra million bucks to stay on a loser in Denver. Plus, the way they handled this whole thing obviously turned him off.

Two years removed from the Western Conf Finals. Been to the playoffs more often than not. How are they a loser? If they’re a loser, there are pretty much 27 other losers in the league.

http://spartyandfriends.com/ mizerle06 is the crippliest of the cripples

Your 3rd superstar is going to be Steve Nash.

I would love this just for the comical defense with him, Melo, and Amare on the floor together.

is the Knicks coach still the guy that used to coach the Suns? he brought in A’m’a’r’e and likes that uptempo offense, no?

Watsonian

Comical but even that offense can blow through the first 2 rounds in the east. Would find trouble in the ECF however.

No, that offense would win a first round mathcup. Then in the 2nd they’d be matched up agains Chicago, Miami, or Boston. The Knicks with Nash would not beat any of those teams. Not happening.

BFFredo

I don’t really see how it gets them any closer to a championship.

It doesn’t. Honestly, the guy they needed to get took his talents to South Beach last summer and the Knicks were desperate to make sure another Elite player didn’t slip away. That’s why they “overpaid” for Melo.

Now, will the lack of defense or poise matter in a D’Antoni system? Probably not as much. Melo is going to love playing the Shawn Marion/Boris Diaw role. He’ll get lots of points per game and look as if he’s doing his part.

As for landing a third superstar, I think they would be better off trying to make that Rubio deal than hedging their bets the new CBA will give them the leg room to land a Deron Williams or CP3.

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

False. Amare and Melo are not winning a championship. Even if they do some how add an Elite PG (not gonna happen), they still are not getting out of the East.

They won’t beat Boston. They’re better equipped to beat the Heat and the Magic now. But they won’t beat Boston. But nobody will, so it is all good.

http://spartyandfriends.com/ mizerle06 is the crippliest of the cripples

is the Knicks coach still the guy that used to coach the Suns? he brought in A’m’a’r’e and likes that uptempo offense, no?

/dips toe in NBA post waters
//finds it too chilly
///goes back to Roundup to patiently wait for another NASCAR comment

http://thesqueeze.wordpress.com/ Senator Jersey

Then in the 2nd they’d be matched up agains Chicago, Miami, or Boston. The Knicks with Nash would not beat any of those teams. Not happening.

Without Nash or Melo, they’ve beaten Chicago twice this season.

Watsonian

he brought in A’m’a’r’e and likes that uptempo offense, no?

Yes, but those Suns teams were at their best when they had Marion, who was a very good defensive player, and Raja Bell who was a great on the ball defender. Name one knicks player that is any where near those two defensively? You can’t.

http://offthebackboard.blogspot.com/ karma

I think its a good trade. Role players are easily replaceable in D’Antoni’s offense.